With the 2025 MLB season just around the corner, the New York Yankees find themselves in a precarious situation. The air is thick with urgency as they scramble to fill the void left by ace Gerrit Cole, who is sidelined for the entire season due to Tommy John surgery. As injuries pile up, including those to key players like Luis Gil and Giancarlo Stanto, the Yankees’ rotation looks dangerously thin, raising alarm bells among fans and analysts alike. In this high-stakes environment, the Yankees have turned their attention to a potential game-changer: Sandy Alcantara with a masterpiece contract of $56 million. But the question looms large—can they successfully pry Alcantara away from the Miami Marlins, or is this merely wishful thinking?

Looks like the second one! The Yankees aren’t the only ones who value Alcantara. The team that signed him in a whopping five-year, $56 million contract isn’t taking him for granted, as the Yankees may have hoped. After sitting out the entire 2024 season due to an elbow injury, he wasted no time getting back into action. The Marlins’ ace hit 99 mph in his return to the mound in spring training. And before the Yankees could even make a move for him, the Marlins shut down any possibility of a trade.

While appearing on the

A Day in Miami podcast, Marlins’ President of Baseball Operations Caroline O’Connor made it clear that the Marlins have no intention of trading their star pitcher. She asserted, “Sandy is coming back. You’ve seen him in spring training; last year, he was recovering, but now he’s back and ready to go. He’s a fierce competitor and is happy to be back with the Marlins.” Her words really drove home the Marlins’ strong position: Alcantara is a cornerstone piece of their rotation, and they definitely don’t plan on trading him.  

For the Yankees, the rejection hits hard. With Cole out for the year, the team’s already shaky rotation now looks like a potential Achilles’ heel. And now this setback means that their search for a reliable arm to fill Cole’s shoes just became more difficult. A once-promising offseason quickly turned into a scramble to find a top-tier pitcher who could shoulder the load. The Yankees are now forced to think outside the box to find a reliable ace they so desperately need.

From here on, they must pivot and find alternative solutions if they hope to stay competitive in the highly competitive AL East. With key players like Gil and Cole sidelined, the pressure is mounting. The Yankees’ front office should make moves that could keep their championship aspirations intact. The Marlins may hold onto Alcantara for now, but the idea of keeping him indefinitely seems unlikely.

Will Sandy Alcantara join Boston’s revamped roster?

After a few years of playoff heartbreak, the Boston Red Sox are setting their sights on a return to contention in 2025. With a revamped roster that has big names like Garett Crochet, Walker Buehler, and star third baseman Alex Bregman, the Red Sox are ready to make some noise! But could their biggest move still be ahead?

MLB Insider Jim Bowden predicted that Boston’s next big acquisition could be none other than Marlins ace Alcantara. With an impressive farm system, the Red Sox have just the right assets to pull off this blockbuster move. Bowden claimed, “The Marlins trade Sandy Alcantara to the Red Sox for right fielder Wilyer Abreu and a prospect package of righty Luis Perales, infielder Franklin Arias, and righty Juan Valera.”

With top prospect Kristian Campbell set to make his MLB debut as the starting second baseman alongside Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, Boston has the talent to secure Alcantara. The team’s rotation, headlined by Crochet and Buehler, would become one of the most feared in the majors with the addition of the Marlins’ ace.

For the Red Sox, acquiring Alcantara would solidify them as true contenders, giving them a formidable top three in the rotation. Given they succeed in this pursuit, 2025 could be the year Boston returns to greatness with the addition of Alcantara being the final piece of the puzzle.